Out of Time
by Creeper2
Summary: Chapter 6 is up! Sara's been found and now things can return to normal. Or can they?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Out of Time  
  
Rating: PG-13 to R  
  
Disclaimer: I want them. I want them so badly. But I can't. They belong to another.  
  
Summary: Grissom's back and in fighting shape. But Sara's gone. Is it too late? G/S  
  
Please review and tell me if I should continue.  
  
Gil Grissom strode into the building for the first time in two weeks. It had been hard to stay away. In fact the only reason he had, was the bandages. As long as they were on, none of his coworkers could see him. Except Catherine, that is. He'd had to tell someone why he was leaving, and she'd been the safest. Especially since she'd figured out his "condition" on her own. So he'd hidden out for two weeks, his only contact with lab, his daily calls to Catherine and the few cold files she brought him.  
Grissom smiled slightly as he headed towards his office. It felt good to be back. In fact he felt like a new man. He no longer had to worry about his hearing fading in and out, or needing to read lips. He could pick up right where he left off. He had even grown a slight beard. For some reason, the surgery had triggered a need to change himself in some way. He'd realized as he sat alone in his townhouse that though he loved his job, he didn't love his life. Something was missing and Grissom didn't know exactly what.  
He reached his office and sat down behind his desk, drinking in the familiar atmosphere. This was more of his home than his townhouse. Here he was comfortable, here he was in control. He looked down at the cases for the night. One was some sort of food poisoning at an anniversary party. Not normally a case for the crime lab, but it looked like botulism, and a particularly virulent strain at that. Several of the victims were near death and the health department didn't have the resources to do any real epidemiological study. Actually it sounded right up his alley. He'd take that one tonight. The other case was a body found floating in a canal at the Venetian. That was definitely one for the kids. Let them go swimming tonight. So Sara and Nick on that and Catherine and Warrick with him at the party. A perfect night to return to work.  
Everyone looked up when Grissom walked into the break room. He had hoped to avoid any sort of scene, especially since no one except Catherine had known where he was. Thankfully, no one seemed that impressed with his presence. Aside from a few "welcome backs" everything seemed just as he'd left it. He looked around. Sara wasn't there yet, but Nick could tell her the assignment when she finally arrived. He glanced down at his notepad and started reading off the assignments.  
"Okay. Sara and Nick have a db in one of the Venetian's canals. Catherine and Warrick, you two are coming with me to a party. We have a multiple poisoning. Have a good time everybody." He turned to go, but noticed that no one else was moving. Warrick sat with his head in his hands and Nick seemed to be glaring at Catherine.  
"I thought you told him, Cat." Nick got up and walked out of the room not once looking at Grissom. Warrick looked at Catherine in sympathy and left to join Nick.  
"Told me what, Catherine?"  
"Look Gil. I wanted to tell you earlier, but not while you were still recovering. There wasn't anything I could do."  
"What is it?"  
"Sara's gone."  
"What do you mean she's gone?"  
"She mailed in a form requesting a leave of absence and left."  
Grissom turned pale as his heart caught in his chest. This wasn't happening. She wouldn't just leave. They couldn't let her just leave. "Well didn't anybody talk to her? Couldn't you convince her to.."  
Catherine sighed and looked down. "Nick went to her apartment, but she moved out. All of her furniture was gone. There was no note or anything, she just left."  
Grissom collapsed onto the couch staring blankly at the wall. He was too late. She had warned him and he had finally lost her. He had often wished, when her presence had become a distraction and he found himself lost to the world thinking about her, that she had never accepted his offer of a job. He had thought that without the constant temptation he could maintain the emotional distance that made him so good at his job. Now, with the sudden pain of her loss, he realized he was wrong. The thing that had been missing from his life was Sara.  
"You didn't approve her request did you?"  
"What choice did I have, Gil. If I hadn't she would have to be fired. At least this way she'll have a job when she comes back."  
"If she comes back."  
"What are you going to do?"  
Grissom got up and grabbed his jacket. "You are going with Nick to the Venetian and Warrick will work the poisoning with me. We have work to do."  
Catherine stared after him as he left. He had obviously been upset at the news about Sara. She had hoped the surgery would knock some sense into his thick skull, but it hadn't. He still thought that by ignoring the problem that it would go away.  
  
***********************  
  
"God Gil, you look awful!"  
"Is there something you want Catherine? I might not be very good with people, but even I know that is not a good way to start a conversation." Grissom had worked the case that night as a robot. Gathering evidence and photographing the scene was a welcome routine that kept his mind focused and external distractions away. Warrick kept looking at him, looking for any sort of emotional reaction, but saw nothing. Grissom didn't even notice Warrick, so intent he was on the case. Work had allowed him to get through the night in one piece, but the second got home, it hit him. A migraine forced him onto his back. But even with the shades drawn, eyes closed and medication coursing though his blood stream, the pain wouldn't abate. Sara was finally paying him back for the emotional pain he had caused her.  
"I'm sorry. I just thought you might like someone to talk to tonight."  
"What is there to talk about? She's gone and she didn't even say goodbye. Obviously I hope she decides to come back soon. She was an asset to the lab."  
"I'm surprised you're already talking about her in the past tense. And I was hoping you'd talk about something other than her impact on the lab. It didn't do you any good to ignore her before, and it definitely won't help now."  
Grissom finally lost it. Between the sharp pain behind his eyes and the cold weight crushing his chest, it was too much to keep inside anymore. "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do! Track her, hunt her down? Convince her to stay? If she couldn't even take the time to say goodbye, then what chance is there now?" He drew a deep breath and looked shocked by his outburst. "I'm sorry Catherine. I shouldn't have."  
"What? Yelled? Gotten so emotional? You got burned again. I'd be disappointed if you didn't show at least some feelings."  
"It was totally my fault this time. I had the chance and ignored it. I ignored her. She even warned me this time. She told me it might be too late and now it is."  
"Look, the way I see it, you have two options. You can try to forget her and move on like you tried to do tonight. But to be perfectly honest, I don't think you should, or can. Or, you can find her and convince her you can change, that you have changed. Warrick told me how cold you were tonight. Like you had banished Sara from your memory. I don't think you truly want to live like that."  
"I don't." Grissom suddenly realized he'd just revealed more about himself than ever before. It left him feeling raw, almost naked before Catherine's eyes. But perhaps it allowed the possibility for change. If he could admit it to himself and Catherine, why not Sara? "But what can I do? She's already gone."  
"Try calling her parents tomorrow. I'm sure they know where she is."  
"Maybe. I don't like. this."  
"What?"  
"I don't like not knowing what to do. I don't like this empty feeling. I guess I didn't realize how important she was."  
Catherine smiled. "Congratulations, Gil. You just took the first step to becoming a real person. Go to bed now. You look like you need it. I have to go pick up Lindsay from school. I'll see you at work."  
"Thanks Cath. I needed this."  
Cat hugged him briefly and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Anytime Gil. Everything will work out. I promise."  
Grissom closed the door and walked into the bedroom. Already he had planned out his plan of attack for the night. First Sara's parents, then the airlines, movers, etc. He would find her and everything would be back to normal. He lay down on his bed, still fully closed and stared up at the ceiling. A day or two at the most, and he would know where she was. He would convince her to come back to the lab. Anything else was inconceivable.  
********************************  
  
"No? Are you sure?" Grissom sighed and ran his hand over his eyes. "I understand. Thank you for looking." Grissom sat back in his hair and closed his eyes. He had tried everything. Her parents didn't know where she was, she didn't bye a plane ticket or hired movers. No change of address forms at the post office. Sara was gone.  
"What I don't understand is why her parents aren't more concerned. It's been two weeks." Catherine sat in his office sipping a screwdriver. Their shift had been over for two hours, but Grissom had stayed late to work on his own personal case.  
"She told me they had a sort of falling out years ago. Sara talked to them once a month at most. She called them a few weeks ago to tell them she was thinking about quitting and moving on, but they haven't spoken to her since. They just don't seem to think anything's wrong. She must not want anyone to find her."  
"I'm sorry Gil. I really thought that.."  
"I know. I did too. I should have expected this after I turned her down, but somehow I always thought there'd be more time."  
"What do you mean 'turned her down?'"  
"After the explosion last month, she asked me to dinner. I told her no. She told me that it might be too late, but I dismissed her."  
Catherine shook her head and glared at him. "No wonder she's gone. After how you've ignored her, strung her along, I'm surprised she lasted this long."  
"I know, I know. This was my fault. It's over."  
"So what are you going to do about it?"  
"What I should have done in the first place." Grissom looked up and she saw him banish the pain to some inaccessible place inside him. His eyes were empty as he answered her. "If she doesn't want to be found, I won't look for her."  
  
******************  
  
Sara lay on her back in the middle of her bed staring blankly up at the ceiling. There were 127 boards, she had counted them over and over trying to will her body and mind into sleep. It didn't work. Every blink was a painful grating of her red, dry eyes. She couldn't even cry anymore. The tears had dried up days ago as she lay in the same position, in the same bed, staring up at the same 127 boards. It didn't matter anyway. No one was going to come for her. She had signed the forms. She was on an indefinite leave of absence. Catherine had probably approved it right away. She would have been glad to. After all, Sara hadn't been able to do anything to help her or Lindsay when Eddie had died. She tried to remember what day it was. Time had begun to lose all meaning. Sara wondered if Grissom was back at the lab yet. It didn't matter anyway. He would welcome her absence. He might have felt something for her once. Hell he might still feel something, but would never do anything about it. Even when she gave him the opportunity. Now his chance was gone. It was too late for either of them to do anything.  
Sara suddenly realized she was hungry. She knew she hadn't eaten in a few days, but this was the first time she had noticed. Perhaps her body had finally decided to take over where her mind had failed her. The gnawing hunger joined the crushing loneliness and threatened to overtake her will. She had been alone most of her adult life, but never had she felt this before. At least before she could go into work and pretend that the people there cared. That they made up some sort of family. Now there was no one.  
Sara startled as she heard the door to the room open. She closed her eyes and refused to look at the man who now sat perched on the edge of her bed. He sat there patiently until she caught the smell of soup wafting up from the tray he held. Her stomach cramped and her eyes opened, focusing reluctantly. She reached for him, desperate for the food, but was stopped abruptly by the length of chain that held her wrists to the bed.  
"Relax Sara. I'll feed you."  
  
TBC  
  
Please Review and tell me if I should continue. This is my first CSI fic. 


	2. 2

Thanks everyone for the reviews! Keep 'em coming, and I'll try to hurry up with the postings.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Tim hummed to himself as he stood over the kitchen sink. It was a gorgeous day. Maybe he'd go out for a walk later and do some shopping. He could make a nice dinner, pasta primavera or eggplant parmesan. He smiled to himself as he loaded the dishwasher and dried his hands. Everything was going right for him today.  
  
Sara had finally decided to eat. He'd offered her food every day since she'd come to him, but she kept refusing. When she finally let him feed her today, he was relieved. She was already so skinny. He didn't want her to get sick.  
  
Tim sighed. He wanted to sit down and talk with her more than anything right now, but he couldn't. It was too early. He couldn't risk upsetting her again. But today had been a breakthrough. Maybe tomorrow she'd be willing to talk to him.  
  
Pasta would be perfect for tonight, he decided. He'd even offer her a glass of wine. She'd probably refuse to drink it though. Some part of her would want to remain in control. He admired her willpower. Hell, he wouldn't love her if she was some weak, simpering girl. She was strong, an independent and intelligent woman and she was perfect for him. She just didn't know it yet.  
  
Tim sat watching his favorite TV show. He was a patient man. He'd waited over two years for her; he could wait a few more days. Those two years had been torture, but he realized now that they were invaluable. He knew her better than anyone now. He'd stopped eating meat when she did. He knew what size clothes she wore, where she shopped. He knew how she cried herself to sleep almost every night. And he knew why. Grissom. The man had been both a blessing and a curse. Sara was clearly in love with him. He'd watched her extend herself to him. She'd given him plenty of opportunities, but every time he'd blown it. The man had to be the biggest fool on earth.  
  
After Tim had identified Grissom as his primary obstacle, he'd started watching him too. It actually took a lot of discipline to study him. While watching Sara do anything was a pleasure, watching Grissom was tedious. His life was exceedingly boring. He sat at home reading forensics journals most of the time. Every once in a while he'd go ride a roller coaster, but that was it. How did the man manage? The only person he ever saw outside of work was one of his coworkers, Catherine. She was a beautiful woman and at first Tim thought there might have been something there. But she clearly had no desire for anything beyond an emotional friendship. No, his life was work and nothing else.  
  
Grissom's feelings for Sara became more and more evident as he watched them both. The random touches, the offhanded comments and the way he watched her when she wasn't looking made the attraction obvious. But it was just as clear that Grissom would never do anything about it. Tim was torn between sympathy and glee every time Grissom missed an opening. Those nights, Sara would be so upset she couldn't even cry herself to sleep. She would simply curl up into a ball and gaze out a window. Tim ached to go to her and comfort her. Her pain was his. As he watched her he would hate Grissom.  
On the other hand, if Grissom had reciprocated, Tim thought, then he would have never had this chance to prove his love to her. He had waited for his opportunity for a long time. He'd thought she was ready for him last year. She had almost left Las Vegas because of Grissom's "emotional issues." But then she'd gone and hooked up with that idiot EMT. Yet another moron who had an opportunity with the girl of his dreams and had blown it. In the end it had turned out for the best though. Sara had been devastated by his lies. Now she finally seemed to have given up on Grissom. She had even filled out a leave of absence form.  
  
Then, when Grissom took his little sabbatical, Tim finally had his chance. It had been so easy. He had been in her apartment before, so it was no problem to get in there and get the form that she had put on her kitchen table. She had stared at it for over a week. It was time for him to put an end to her indecision. He mailed it for her, then settled in to wait for her to get home.  
  
The wait gave him a chance to take care of a few things. The first was a call to the movers. She would need some of her own stuff when they started their life together. But not everything. His eyes fell on a plant by her bedside. "From Grissom." She definitely wouldn't need this. He threw it in the trash and shattered the pot. He searched for anything else that could possibly remind her of the bastard and quickly destroyed what he found, pictures, books, anything. He sat on her bed, stroking the pillow and picturing her hair. He took a shower in her bathroom using her shampoo. Every step he took brought him closer to her.  
  
Finally she arrived home. He sat in her bedroom on what would soon be their bed. He listened to her come in and lay her gun on the kitchen table. Eventually she made her way to him. Thank god for chloroform. She struggled so hard. He knew he should feel bad that he had to force her, but the feeling of her muscles jumping beneath her skin and the smell of her hair was just intoxicating. He held her until she went limp. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to her bed. She looked so beautiful laying there. Almost as if she was waiting for him. He lay down next to her stoking her bare arm lightly. He couldn't stay like this for long. He had to get her home before she woke up, but for now, Tim was content to merely have her close to him.  
  
Those first two days with her had been so difficult. They couldn't start getting to know each other until their house was properly set up. He had locked her in the basement bathroom with her hands cuffed in front of her while he arranged everything with the movers. Even though he'd sent in her request for leave, he'd half expected one of her coworkers to suspect something. Only when her apartment had been cleaned out and her stuff delivered to his house, did Tim finally relax. The basement was set up with her bed and furniture, to make it as much of a home as possible. He sat outside the bathroom door and listened to her breathing. She would be weak and tired. It would have been hard to sleep in there, despite the blankets and pillows he'd left for her. Plus she hadn't eaten in those two days. He had been so busy and there was no safe way to keep going in there to feed her. Again, he felt bad that it should come to this, but as soon as he had her out of there and she could see what he did for her, she would come around.  
  
He readied a rag with chloroform and opened the door. She appeared to be sleeping in the bathtub. She looked peaceful, serene. He knelt down by the side of the tub and brushed the hair from her eyes. He leaned over her, the urge to feel her skin beneath his lips irresistible. He was only a hair's breadth away when her eyes suddenly opened and a fist sent the chloroform flying. She clawed at him, trying to rip at his skin as he backed away. She stood in the tub glaring at him.  
  
Damn it. Tim thought. I should have known. Two days wouldn't be enough to break her will. He manhandled her over to the waiting bed and climbed on top of her as he cuffed her hands to the headboard. He looked down at her, expecting the struggle to be over. Suddenly he was flying backwards as her foot connected with his chest.  
  
That little bitch! Tim raged. Here I am just trying to make her happy and she tries to hurt me! Moving swiftly and blinded by rage, he caught her legs and a viselike grip. If she wants to hurt me, then I can hurt her. He took her two big toes and snapped them, grinning at the sickening crunch and her scream of pain. That would teach her to kick him.  
  
Finally Sara stopped struggling and he went to the bathroom. He grabbed the rag and chloroform and sent Sara into a painless dreamless sleep. He sat down on the bed next to her, breathing hard with his exertions. He hadn't wanted it to happen like this. He told himself he really didn't want to hurt her. It was her fault. Her scream had shot a lightning bolt through his chest. It was both satisfying and disturbing. He had hurt her and liked it. He rubbed his eyes. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.  
  
Tim got up, checked Sara's bonds and left the room. He'd go out and buy her something nice to make up for hurting her. A nice nightgown. She shouldn't be in bed fully clothed anyway.  
  
*******************  
  
That had all happened a week ago. Since then he and Sara had settled into a comfortable routine. Three times a day he would offer her food and let her use the bathroom, with her hands cuffed. Then it was back to bed. He hadn't spoken to her in all that time. He sensed she was still too mad at him for hurting her. But soon she'd be ready for him.  
  
He leaned back and watched the television and rubbed a hand over the front of his jeans. Soon he'd be able to touch her skin the way he really wanted to. Before long he wouldn't have to resort to fantasizing about her arms wrapped around him, her lips on him. The figure on the TV shifted slightly revealing a little more leg. God she was beautiful lying there in the almost virginal white nightgown he bought her. Like a bride waiting to be taken.  
  
His bride.  
  
TBC  
  
Please let me know what you think. I promise the next chapter will have both Sara and Griss in the flesh. 


	3. 3

Sorry this has taken so long everybody. I was away for a few days, and every time I tried to post, the site was down. Please enjoy.  
  
Out of Time: Chapter 3  
  
Grissom lay on his leather couch with his eyes closed. He was tired. The shift had been long and busy, but still he could not sleep. His migraines were back with a vengeance. Even in complete darkness, shades drawn and eyes closed, his head throbbed. Nothing helped. Music only made the throbbing more rhythmic. His only relief was work. While he was up and moving, surrounded by people and solving crimes, he was blissfully pain free. But the solitude of his townhouse was a silent agony.  
  
He had to do something about this. People at the lab were beginning to talk. His excitement over evidence could not conceal his haggard downcast feature that had aged years due to his fatigue. Maybe the doctor could give him some heavier medications. He wouldn't be able to take them everyday; they tended to make his mind fuzzy. Right now, his only companion was his mind. But if he took them two or three days a week, maybe he could get enough sleep to get by on. Eventually the headaches would go away. They always did. Before long everything would be back to normal.  
  
*************************  
  
"Good morning, Sara. How are you doing today? I made you French toast for breakfast."  
  
Sara's eyes opened in shock. The voice of her captor had interrupted the first dream she'd had since she'd been taken. Her situation flooded back as she returned to consciousness. She saw him sitting on her bed and closed her eyes again trying to reenter the dream that had offered a brief respite from reality. She had been working a case with Grissom. Not what most people would consider a good or interesting dream, but that was the best experience from the past three years that her brain could dig up. Sad really, but it was infinitely better than opening her eyes and being forced to confront captivity.  
  
"You must be so hungry, Sara. You're too skinny. Please have a bite to eat. I know you'll like it. Look, powdered sugar. I know you don't like syrup."  
  
Sara knew she should be concerned that he knew that about her, but she was just too hungry. And the food did smell good. She met his eyes briefly and nodded. Funny, but he didn't seem all that threatening. In fact he looked almost boyish with thick brown hair and green eyes. She focused on his eyes and found nothing. Nothing like the madness she had expected see.  
  
Tim smiled broadly and began to cut the toast. He talked while she ate. "I'm so glad you've decided to keep your strength up. I hate to see you suffer. See isn't this good? By the way, my name is Tim. It's so good to finally be able to talk to you in person. I know we'll be good friends."  
  
Sara chewed and swallowed obediently, struck by Tim's words. Here he had kidnapped her and broken her toes and he didn't want her to suffer. His face betrayed no inner turmoil or evidence that he realized she was in pain. All she saw was overwhelming happiness.  
  
Before long she had consumed three pieces of French toast and a glass of orange juice. She realized she hadn't had such a big meal in weeks. It was probably a sign of how weak she'd gotten, both in body and in spirit. She sighed as Tim cuffed her hands together and then released her from the bed. She limped her way to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet when Tim closed the door. She hung her head as shame coursed through her body. A little pain and hunger and she had caved in so easily. Why?  
  
Tim waited for Sara to knock at the door, to signal she was done. He loved feeding her and talking to her. He knew she'd start talking back soon. He knew her so well; it was easy to read her thoughts in her eyes. She probably believed she had given in too easily. But the truth was that her strength had been slowly depleted over the past few weeks. Hank and Grissom and even Catherine had eaten away at her confidence and her self-esteem. She was a wreck before he had taken her. Soon, when there was nothing left to break, he would build her up again. He smiled. She will be so grateful, she will have to love me.  
  
***************************  
  
A week later, Grissom stood on a chair behind the counter, peering at the wall. Such a boring night. Nothing more exciting than a routine armed robbery at a 24 hour pawn shop. He dug a bullet out of the plaster. Good, he thought, mostly intact. Ballistics should be able to do something with this.  
  
He continued to work the scene with Catherine. Nothing unusual here. Some guy comes in with a handgun and tries to rob the shop. Obviously an amateur. Everyone knew that pawn shops were the worst targets. The clerks were all armed to the teeth. Apparently this clerk had pulled a shotgun out and scared the bum off, but not before he fired a shot high into the wall.  
  
"Hey Grissom! I think I may have the perp's weapon out here!"  
  
*****************************  
  
"I was thinking, Sara, that a nice big chef's salad and some garlic bread would be good tonight. How does that sound."  
  
"It sounds fine, Tim." Sara knew by know that what ever he brought her would be fine. He hadn't brought her anything with meat and seemed to genuinely know what she did and didn't like. How ironic that the man who held her captive knew her better than any of her coworkers. Grissom included. She had long ago given up hope of anyone coming for her, and knew that escape was impossible. So she went along with Tim's plans and tried not to anger him. He toes were still heavily bruised and were a painful reminder of his anger.  
  
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"  
  
"You could always let me go."  
  
"You ask me that every day Sara. You know I can't do that yet. You're not ready."  
  
"I know, Tim"  
  
"You know nobody loves you more than I do. No one knows you like I do, or cares about you as much. They have all stopped looking for you."  
  
"You don't know that. They probably know by now that something's wrong."  
  
"Come now, Sara. You don't really believe that. Catherine is probably enjoying being the only female on the team and doesn't have to be reminded of her ex's death every time she looks at you. Warrick never truly forgave you for investigating him twice, and not trusting him. Nick has probably buried any concerns about you under a pile of one night stands and Grissom. Well, Grissom is Grissom. They have all moved on with their lives. Don't you think you should do the same?"  
  
Sara closed her eyes, trying to shut out his words. He was right. They had moved on and she was more alone than ever. Except of course, for Tim's constant presence. He talked to her for hours about everything. Sometimes he brought a newspaper in and read it to her. Other times it was a novel. She had tried to get him to talk about his life, but he seemed reluctant to visit the past. All she had managed to learn was that he had grown up on a cattle farm in Montana.  
  
She still had no idea why he was doing this. He seemed to truly be in love with her and convinced that she would love him back. What in his past had caused this? Did his mother not love him enough? Did his daddy beat him? Or was he just born this way, sick and evil? It didn't matter anyway. He was her reality now. Two weeks ago her life was empty and her job the only thing worth living for. Now, the only thing keeping her alive was his obsession. His love.  
  
*******************  
  
"I'm not having this discussion with you Catherine. Especially not during working hours." Grissom glared at her as she stood blocking the door to his office. He leaned forward in his chair. "I told you already. I am fine."  
  
Catherine stood firm, hands on hips in full concerned mother mode. "You are not fine. You're at work all the time. You snap at everybody. Poor Greg is scared to page you. I don't think you've slept since Sara."  
  
"I'm fine Catherine. My migraines have just been bad recently. The doc gave me new pills. I slept over six hours last night."  
  
Catherine sat down across from him and shook her head sadly. "The pills aren't the solution Gil. You're upset about Sara, and I don't blame you. Ignoring the emotional pain won't help."  
  
"As I told you before. She's gone. There is nothing anyone can do about it. And I've moved on.  
  
Catherine didn't know what to say to that. He was right in that Sara's absence seemed to be a done deal. But how could she make him realize that his standard operating procedure of ignoring emotions would just make things worse. She started to reach for his hand across the desk, to try to offer him some comfort when her pager went off.  
  
"Ballistics lab, 911 page."  
  
"Why would they be paging you? I told them to get me when they had the results?"  
  
"I don't know, Gil. Why don't we go find out?"  
  
They made their way down the hallway to ballistics. The technician on duty looked extremely relieved to see Catherine enter the lab.  
  
"Hi Catherine. I think you need to see this. Look we fired some bullets from the." The tech stopped abruptly as Grissom followed her into the room.  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Look I don't think that you should.. I mean I only paged Catherine."  
  
Grissom shot a deadly look at him. "Well last time I checked, I was supervisor around here and lead investigator on this case, so I strongly suggest you tell me about the results unless you'd like to look for another job."  
  
"Yes sir. I, uhhh tested bullets fired from the gun found at the crime scene, and they are a match to the slugs you dug out of the wall."  
  
"That hardly warrants a 911 page. Out with it."  
  
"I was able to raise the serial number off the gun. Someone didn't do a good job removing it. I've seen this gun before."  
  
"It was used in another crime?"  
  
"No. It's department issued."  
  
"To who?"  
  
"Sara Sidle."  
  
TBC. Please review and let me know how it's coming along. BTW Tim and Grissom meet in the next chapter. 


	4. 4

Out of Time: Chapter 4  
  
A/N: Sorry this took so long everyone. I hope eople are still interested in reading it. Let me know what you think. Reviews are what make the world go round. I think. Maybe it's gravity.  
  
*********************  
  
"How could you forget?!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Gil. I was just overwhelmed with the lab and worrying about you. I forgot about the gun."  
  
"The Sheriff isn't going to buy that. A department weapon was used in a crime. Someone's in deep shit for this." Grissom paced around the break room gesticulating wildly. He had been getting close to moving on and now here he was with more questions than ever and the sinking feeling that something horrible had happened.  
  
"What I don't understand is how the perp got Sara's gun. She wouldn't just throw it out." Despite his calm demeanor, Nick was silently panicking. He had seemed to take Sara's leaving the hardest and had obviously blamed Grissom for that.  
  
"No. And she wouldn't quit without turning it in." Warrick was rubbing his temples. If they didn't solve this soon, he could battle Gris for the world's worst headache. The thought that Sara might be hurt, or worse made him physically ill with guilt. He had been a bit pissed when Sara left without warning. True, they hadn't gotten off to a good start, but he'd thought she had begun to fit in better. Just leaving like that not only made things difficult around the lab, but hurt Grissom in the process. Grissom had become very important to him. He had gone to bat for him so many times and he hated to see him like this.  
  
Catherine nodded. "So where does that leave us?"  
  
"Well either she lost it, which is highly unlikely, or someone stole it and she doesn't know its missing."  
  
"Or she's unable to report its missing."  
  
Grissom stopped his survey of the room and met Nick's eyes. "You think something happened to her?"  
  
"It isn't like her to forget something like her gun."  
  
"Yeah. And she left without saying anything. I know she'd been withdrawn for a while, but it is weird she left without warning."  
  
"But she mailed in the form." Catherine knew she sounded desperate. She was trying to find any logical explanation that didn't end with Sara being hurt.  
  
"And it was her signature on it."  
  
Grissom face grew determined as he turned to leave. "I know, I know. It's just really odd. Let's hope we can find the perp. Maybe he can shed some light on where he got this." ***************** Sara was exhausted. Physically and emotionally. Fighting this situation was becoming too much of a burden. Every day Tim was there, feeding her, taking care of her. He hadn't hurt her since the toe and even the pain of that was fading. She had asked him once what it would take for him to release her. Like any victim she had offered him money only to have him actually get insulted. He said that all he wanted was her love. All she had to do was love him and she was free to go.  
  
At the time she thought he meant that he wanted sex. But he'd never tried to rape her, which would have been easy enough. She was in no position to fight back. Yet he hadn't tried anything. He was so patient and caring as if he truly wanted her to love him.  
  
It almost would have been easier if he had raped her, or at least tried to. Maybe then he'd grow tired of her and let her go. Or maybe he'd kill her. Sara almost didn't care which. Anything to break this stalemate, this steady wearing down of her will.  
  
Maybe she could offer him sex. Maybe he'd be willing to take the physical love instead of the emotional kind. The thought of doing such a thing turned her stomach, but he didn't seem like he'd be rough or violent. She'd only have to endure the indignity and humiliation for a little while and then she'd have a chance. Sara decided. Next time she'd try to whore herself out to him.  
  
*****************  
  
Grissom photographed every inch of the crime scene, working his was up and down the street in a methodical grid pattern. The repetitive actions were usually enough to draw his mind into focus. Usually the world around him disappeared and extraneous thoughts fled. Unfortunately, that momentary peace was denied him tonight. The case involving Sara's gun remained unsolved as did the question of how it got there. Nick's suggestions had been unsettling at the least. It was one thing to know that Sara was alive somewhere and getting on with her life, but the thought that she might be in trouble, or worse was devastating.  
  
Grissom muttered a curse to himself and tried to refocus his attentions. He had a murder to solve here and worrying about nothing wouldn't help anyone. But Sara wasn't "nothing" and between his own personal thoughts and the crime scene, he was oblivious to everything except the square meter of asphalt in front of him. He didn't even hear Catherine calling him until she was right behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey Grissom!. I was calling you. Are you sure your hearing is fixed?"  
  
"I'm sorry Catherine. I was. distracted."  
  
"Don't worry Gil. We'll find out what's going on with Sara. Come here. You have some dirt on your face. Were you dumpster diving?" Catherine leaned into Grissom and wiped some dirt off his cheek with her thumb. On some impulse, she pushed her luck and gave him what she hoped he realized was a reassuring hug. Grissom stiffened automatically, but relaxed as the hug lasted only a split second. Neither noticed the flash coming from the crowd of onlookers and media outside the yellow tape.  
  
****************  
  
"How are you doing today, honey?" Tim walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked down at Sara; her hair lying on the pillow was so beautiful. But her eyes looked tired, worn. He supposed it was because of the situation and felt a little bad about it, but there was nothing he could do about that yet.  
  
Sara turned to meet his eyes, and her eyes grew determined. "Don't call me that!"  
  
"What? Honey? I'm sorry Sara. I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
"You didn't upset me. I was just thinking."  
  
He reached down and brushed a few errant strands of hair from her face. "What were you thinking about?'  
  
Sara looked up at him and prayed that she had the strength to go through with her plan. "I was thinking about you, about us." She smiled seductively. "I was thinking about how lonely it is without you here."  
  
Tim's breath caught in his throat. She was coming on to him. She shifted her body slowly, spreading her legs just a bit and wriggling around a bit. He smiled down at her and slowly stroked her cheek. He wanted her so much it hurt sometimes, but he had promised himself he wouldn't rush it. Now it had happened, he had waited and the prize would be even sweeter. His hand moved down her body to rest lightly on her hip. That's when he noticed her eyes.  
  
Her smile didn't extend to her eyes. Her mouth said come and take me, but her eyes were full of fear and desperation. And the eyes were the windows to the soul. She was lying to him.  
  
His immediate reaction was anger. How dare she lie about something as important as love! Here he had pampered her, cared for her and she just threw her body at him like some sacrifice. That was what she thought of him! That all he wanted was sex!  
  
He got up and paced around the room trying to rein in his rage. He rubbed his knuckles with the sudden urge to slap some sense into her. He slowly calmed his breathing, bringing his emotions back into control. He had to stay in control of everything. He finally stood next to Sara's bed again and looked down again.  
  
All signs of her little sexual farce were gone; her face showed only fear. And suddenly he felt bad. He shouldn't be angry. She had not yet given up hope of escape. That was evidence of her strength that he loved so much. He was in control and he could afford to let this one slide.  
  
He smiled at her one more time. "That's okay, Sara. I know what you were trying to do and why. I know you're scared, but soon I hope you'll come to trust and love me."  
  
With that he went back upstairs, leaving a dejected, sobbing Sara behind.  
  
****************  
  
Grissom sat at his desk staring at the wall. His mind was methodically sifting through every case from the past five years that involved the abduction of a woman. There were so many, and so few ended well. He knew it was unlikely that any were related to Sara, but he knew what could happen to her. He knew the odds were against her still being alive.  
  
Brass rushed into his office breaking him out of his morbid reverie. "We got him, Gil. Michael Cobb, a frequent visitor of the LVPD drunk tank and failed pawn shop burglar."  
  
Gil was on his feet and walking to the door immediately. "Well what are we waiting for Jim? Let's see what he knows."  
  
"Maybe you should just watch, Gil. I mean, if he knows something about Sara..."  
  
"Relax Jim. I'm just going to ask him a few questions. I don't lose my temper."  
  
Brass wasn't convinced, but knew by that look on Gil's face that none of his arguments would work. Hopefully the suspect would be cooperative and he wouldn't have to physically restrain Grissom. "Right. Just don't do anything rash. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Jim. Let's just do this!"  
  
They walked down to the interrogation room and looked in before entering. Tehir suspect seemed to be sleeping slumped over the table. He looked like a street person in a surplus army jacket and boots, scruffy facial hair and a thick coating of grime. The walked in and Mike raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot and he reeked of cheap wine.  
  
"Hey. Can I get a donut or something here."  
  
Jim stood in a corner ready to intervene if things got out of control. "Sure Mike. I'll just run down to Krispy Kreme for you. But first you're going to help us."  
  
"I can't help you. I can't help anyone."  
  
Grissom sat down calmly across from the suspect and glared at him. "You can help yourself, Mr. Cobb. We know you tried to rob that pawn shop. We've got your prints all over the gun. Now you're going to tell us where you got that gun."  
  
"What gun?"  
  
"The gun you dropped outside the pawn shop. That gun belonged to a friend of mine, and now she's missing. Where did you get the gun?"  
  
Cobb looked panicked. "Look. I don't know nothing about some girl. I. I. I just found it when I was doin' my rounds a while ago. Ya know. In a dumpster."  
  
Grissom leaned forward and lowered his voice. "You better be telling the truth, because if I find out that you are lying to us, I will seriously hurt you."  
  
"I swear. I'll do whatever you want."  
  
Jim walked over and manhandled him to his feet. "Good boy. Now you're going to show us where you got the gun."  
  
********************  
  
"It didn't work out, Sara because your heart was elsewhere." Tim sat on her bed in his usual place. The fiasco of the other day had ended, but she was obviously still feeling the effects. She seemed to have given up. Tim had given her space and time to calm back down, but he couldn't leave her side for long. He had to show her how well he knew her, how much he cared.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Yes you do. Even before you found out about his girlfriend, you weren't happy with him"  
  
"I was happy." Sara couldn't believe that she was lying there getting lectured on her love life. What the hell was wrong with her? Two days ago she had had her sexual advances rejected by her kidnapper. Grissom didn't want her, Hank didn't want her, and now even this nut job didn't want her. She was out of ideas, and hope.  
  
"No, you were distracted. That's all he was to you, a distraction."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes. You needed someone to take your mind off of Grissom."  
  
"That's ridiculous. There's nothing between Grissom and me."  
  
"But you want there to be. You've tried for three years and all you have to show for it is heartache. He didn't even tell you why he was leaving."  
  
Sara shook her head, as if to physically dismiss his words. She had been thinking the same thing for weeks, but it was so painful hearing it spoken aloud. Even worse that Tim could see what was going on when none of her so- called friends did. "That doesn't mean anything. He doesn't talk about his private life to anyone."  
  
"He told Catherine."  
  
"You can't know that."  
  
Tim looked sadly at Sara. It was time to show his winning cards. "I do. Sara, he's been leading you on for years. He doesn't want you because he's got her."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes. He's been with her for a while now. He's been toying with you. He doesn't want you for himself, but damned if he wants anyone else to have you."  
  
"He's not with Catherine." Sara's mind was racing desperately now. She knew that Grissom and Catherine were good friends, but that was it. She would have noticed if they were together. She was a trained investigator; she couldn't have missed the signs.  
  
"He's forgotten all about you. It didn't take him long to move on."  
  
"He couldn't have forgotten me already."  
  
"I'm sorry, Sara. I didn't want to have to do this. I hate seeing you in pain, but you have the right to know. Here, I took these." Tim opened an envelope and took out several photographs of the recent crime scene. He held them up for Sara to see and slowly flipped through them. Grissom crouched down photographing something. Grissom standing up. Grissom talking to Catherine. Catherine touching his face. Catherine hugging him.  
  
Sara's elation at seeing Grissom quickly turned to cold heavy dread as she saw him with Catherine. Could he have already forgotten about her? Was he with Catherine now? "No. This can't be what it looks like. Maybe she was just wiping something."  
  
"I felt awful about how he was treating you. I thought maybe if you saw the truth, you could move on."  
  
"No." She couldn't deal with this now. Tim couldn't be right. Grissom hadn't forgotten about her already. He cared for her. He wasn't with Catherine. Sara repeated this over and over in her head, trying to drown out that nagging voice that told her that Tim had only confirmed what she already knew. She closed her eyes and tried erase the pictures from her mind and ignore the pain they had caused.  
  
Tim knew she needed some time alone and got up. "I'm so sorry. I know how hard this is. Let me go get you something to drink. I'll be right back."  
  
******************** "The dumpster turned up nothing. Just normal trash: food, dirty diapers, some dead plants. Nothing else that traced back to Sara." Catherine was tired and dirty. They had gone dumpster diving for over an hour and hadn't found anything.  
  
"So where does that leave us?" Nick was losing patience. Sara was in trouble and there was nothing they could do about it.  
  
"All we have is her gun. Since Sara would never throw out her own gun, then we can conclude that someone got a hold of it, did a crappy job of filing down the serial number and dumped it. The question now is, how did someone else get it?" Grissom was trying desperately to remain objective, to handle this in some logical fashion.  
  
"Someone's done something to her!"  
  
"We don't know that."  
  
Warrick looked at Grissom incredulously. Could he really believe that Sara was okay? "No Grissom, Nick's right. None of this makes any sense unless Sara's."  
  
"What? Dead? Missing?! Why won't any of you come right out and say it?!"  
  
"Calm down, Gil. We're all concerned about her. When you talked to the movers, what did they say?" Catherine laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Just that Sara had called them and paid to have them pick up her stuff. They didn't have a new address for her because they delivered it to a storage place."  
  
"Well why don't we try there? Maybe there will be some evidence of where she is."  
  
**********************  
  
Sara felt the hot tears running down her face as she tried in vain to erase the images from her head. All this time he had been with Catherine. All this time he had been making little comments that sent shivers down her spine. The slight brush of his hand on her skin that made her breath quicken. All of that had been a joke. Sara closed her eyes and sobbed. He had never wanted her. She was just someone he could toy with and then ignore when things got to serious.  
  
Catherine. Catherine was so obviously a better choice than her. No wonder Grissom was with her instead. She dressed better, was more beautiful, and seemed to have Grissom's trust. Sara just couldn't compete.  
  
Now she knew for certain that no one was looking for her, or even cared she was gone. There would be no rescue, no knight in shining armor. She was alone and at the mercy of her captor. She would remain there, his prisoner until he got what he wanted or tired of her.  
  
**********************  
  
Grissom tore off his glasses and leaned heavily on the counter. He was quickly losing what little patience he had left. "I don't understand. I thought she paid for the entire month."  
  
"She did."  
  
"So where is it?"  
  
"She only kept her stuff there for a few days."  
  
"Do you know where she moved it?"  
  
"No."  
  
Grissom leaned over the counter and practically snarled at the man. "You're not being very helpful Mr. Ivera. There's an investigator missing and I don't have time to play games with you. Maybe you know more than you're letting on."  
  
Catherine moved in to prevent an already tense situation from getting worse. Grissom looked ready to pull a gun on the man. "How did she pick everything up?"  
  
The manager looked suitably intimidated and spoke quickly. "Well actually she didn't. A guy did. With a pickup truck. He had to make a few trips."  
  
"Did he say who he was?"  
  
"Well yeah. He had the key and showed me ID. He was her husband. Tim something or other."  
  
**************************** Tim never stayed away for long now. He had come back to her with a diet soda and some tissues. He had dried her tears in an almost motherly gesture and then helped her sit up so she could have a drink. She was a willing, pliable participant as if all the fight had left her. She looked at him with blank, emotionless eyes as if she no longer cared what happened to her.  
  
Tim almost felt bad for making her look so bad. He didn't want to totally destroy her. He just wanted to break her ties to her former life. She was defeated for now, but with love and care, he could rebuild her. He could make her love him.  
  
The biggest hurdle had been conquered. She clearly believed what he had told her about Grissom. He had broken the bond they shared. She believed that nobody cared for her or remembered her. Now that she was alone, totally alone, she needed him.  
  
**************************** "Sara didn't get married Gil."  
  
They had been driving in silence for fifteen minutes and Catherine was getting worried. He might hide his emotions well, but the manager at the storage place had shaken him, badly. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but judging by the rigid emotionless mask he wore, his thoughts were not pleasant.  
  
"How do you know that, Catherine? How much does anyone really know about Sara these days?"  
  
Catherine sighed. "So that's it?! You're jealous because you think Sara found someone else and moved on? That's crap! Even if she did, she wouldn't have been reckless with her gun. Get your head out of your ass and think of someone else for a change!"  
  
Grissom's face slipped just a little as he hung his head briefly. "You're right. This is all just a lot to deal with."  
  
They arrived back at the lab and went to find Nick and Warrick. They were both hunched over a computer talking quietly.  
  
"So did you two find anything?"  
  
"Yeah Gris. The moving company said that Sara had called them and given her credit card number the week before she went missing, but that they weren't scheduled to be there for two weeks. But then someone else called and had the date moved up."  
  
"Let me guess, her husband."  
  
**************************** "Come on Sara. You have to eat something. I don't what you to get sick." Tim sat in his usual place with a veggie omelet. Sara wasn't talking to him today. In fact she wasn't doing much of anything today. She wouldn't even eat anything.  
  
The knowledge that her friends seemed to have abandoned her to her fate had finally defeated Sara. She no longer saw any need to eat or drink or do anything to ensure her continued survival. What point was there anyway? As long as she lived, she would wake up bound to this bed. As long as she lived she would be woken up and fed by Tim. As long as she lived, she would be alone.  
  
Tim was worried. Now that she had hit bottom, he needed to get her out of her despair. As long as she ignored him, he couldn't make her bond to him. And now she seemed to want to die. He couldn't let that happen. He had to get her to eat and drink before she grew too weak.  
  
****************************  
  
"Well I checked, and there's no way Sara got married in this state."  
  
"Thanks Nick. So Sara's missing and everything she owns was taken by some guy pretending to be her husband. He's gotta have her somewhere."  
  
Warrick shook his head sadly. "Or he's already finished with her. Did we get a description from the storage guy?"  
  
Grissom looked down at his notes. "Brown hair, brown eyes, medium height, in his thirties. Only a few million guys like that around."  
  
"Great. And the truck?"  
  
"Black ford pickup. Again, too many to count in the state of Nevada." Catherine sat on the couch with her notes spread out on the floor in front of her, looking for any connection that might help them find Sara.  
  
"Cath. Anything on the letter?"  
  
"Well she definitely signed the letter, but the handwriting on the envelope was not hers. There was a partial found on the letter, not Sara's and not in any database in this country. Also, DNA on the stamp was not hers. Thank god we have samples from her. Made comparisons easy."  
  
Grissom sighed and closed his eyes. "Well at least we'll know if we find the guy."  
  
*****************  
  
"Please! It's just some soup."  
  
Sara still would not eat or drink or even respond to him. He was getting desperate. He was running out of ways to get through to her.  
  
"Sara. I know you're hurting, and I'm sorry about that but you're punishing yourself. It's not your fault that Grissom is an ass. He never deserved you. You are so much better than him."  
  
She wouldn't look at him but he knew she could hear him. A lone tear rolled down her cheek and he brushed it away, cupping her jaw and gently guiding her face so their eyes met.  
  
"Look at me, Sara. I love you so much. I will never ignore you or hide my feelings from you. All I want is for us to be happy together. You're hurting now, but I hope you'll come to realize that you deserve to be loved like I love you."  
  
Tim got up and unlocked one of her wrists so that she had more room to move around on the bed. She barely acknowledged the difference. Her wrist was red and raw from weeks of being tied up. He knew that she was still hopelessly bound to the bed and now that she had given up, she would soon be bound to him.  
  
*****************  
  
"Grissom! I found something." Nick rushed into the break room where everyone sat lost in their own thoughts  
  
Everyone stopped and looked up. Grissom eyed Nick expectantly. "Well spit it out Nick."  
  
"I went through the DMV records and narrowed down the list of Black Ford pickups. I eliminated everyone who wasn't white, male or in their twenties or thirties. Only 20 of those have the first name Tim."  
  
Grissom eyes looked a little brighter. This was the first solid lead. But the reality of the situation soon came crashing home. "Nice job Nick. But I'm afraid we'll have to look into these on our own time."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"This isn't an official investigation, and if I make it one, Ecklie will take it over. We'll have to check each person on your list, but only during our off hours. That is, if you and the others want to help. If not I understand."  
  
"Well I sure as hell want to help, and I'll bet Catherine and Warrick feel the same." A quick glance at the other members of the CSI team confirmed this. "So I guess we split the list up and each start moving."  
  
"Okay, but we should do it in teams. I'll give you and Warrick half and Cat and I will take the other half. We can start after shift."  
  
************************  
  
Sara lay on the bed with her eyes open, though it was so dark she couldn't even make out the ceiling. It must have been a new moon since no light came in through the tiny basement window. The darkness was oppressive. She felt as if she was the only think left in the universe, surrounded by black nothingness. She had read a novel once in which soviet scientists used sensory deprivation to break spies, but never imagined how effective something like that could be.  
  
Sara closed her eyes. No difference, just the overwhelming sense of isolation. She couldn't even fall asleep. At least sleep would bring oblivion or another reality than the one she was living. She had been dreaming about Grissom recently. She would dream about working a case with him, or simply having breakfast after shift. But now she was terrified of such dreams. Grissom was gone. He had obviously found someone better than her. She thought that she could accept that, but the thought of him and Catherine together while she was in hell actually brought her physical pain. The pictures Tim had showed her were burned into her brain. She couldn't escape them any more than she could escape the crushing emptiness that filled her chest when she thought of them.  
  
She opened her eyes again and tried to stop thinking. Her mind had become her enemy. Her thoughts only served to quicken her surrender. Even now, she hoped that Tim would come downstairs if only to relieve some of her loneliness.  
  
************************  
  
"Number seven. This is the last one we can get to today, Gil. We both need to sleep at some point."  
  
"I know. Let's just do this. I'm sure it's just another dead end anyway."  
  
They made their way to the front door and Grissom looked over the house while Catherine rang the bell. They had been to three other houses that day and none had turned up anything. All had alibis for the day Sara's stuff had been picked up at the storage place. Catherine rubbed at her back of her neck, dead tired from a full shift and then driving all over Nevada. They were about to leave when the door opened.  
  
"Hey there. What can I do for you folks today?"  
  
"Mr. Foster, I'm Gil Grissom and this is Catherine Willows. We're looking for someone who may have been witness to a car accident in Las Vegas.  
  
TBC... Review, review, review! 


	5. 5

Out of Time: Chapter 5  
  
A/N: Sorry everyone for taking so long. I'll have the next chapter up in a week, I swear.  
  
**************** Tim closed the door and leaned up against it, relief evident on his face. He should have been an actor instead of computer geek extraordinaire. They were clueless. Granted they had managed to track him down, but they clearly weren't close to pinning anything on him. They were so oblivious; they didn't even notice his decor.  
  
Tim left the front door and strolled leisurely around his living room. It was calming to be around the things he loved so much. He paused to wipe some dust off a ceramic elephant and think about his visitors. It was truly an experience to meet the famous Gil Grissom face to face, especially when Tim knew he had the advantage. He enjoyed watching him struggle to catch up. The past few weeks had not been kind to him and Tim loved watching Grissom's deterioration. That Catherine didn't seem as affected though. Of course she was too vain not to spend hours primping in front a mirror while her coworker was missing. Some men might find her attractive, but not him. She was too artificial. Now Sara, Sara was real.  
  
While Tim was not overly concerned about the visit from the investigators, he knew he had to speed up his time line a bit. Eventually they would come back, and his work needed to be finished when they did  
  
**************** Catherine and Gil drove in silence back to the lab. They had been up for over 24 hours, and while their disheveled appearances suggested they were worn out, both their minds were racing. Their visit to Mr. Foster had proved more fruitful than either of them had expected.  
  
"What do you think Gil?"  
  
"I'll withhold my judgment until we can check out his story."  
  
"Well he certainly seemed forthcoming." Catherine had a big grin on her as though they had broken the case. Grissom was far less optimistic. Foster had been forthcoming, and chances were that the Police department would have a report of his stolen car. That didn't get them far. That would imply that whoever had Sara had stolen the truck just to move her stuff. There would be no reason to hold on to it. Grissom shook his head and tried to think positively. At least they had Mr. Foster's fingerprints now.  
  
"Let's wait and see what the computer pulls up."  
  
***************** "Hey Sar. How are you feeling today?" Tim sat down on the bed next to her as he always did, looking concerned and cheerful at the same time, as if there was no place he'd rather be. Sara turned to look at him and almost smiled before she caught herself.  
  
"Hi Tim. Aren't you a little later than usual?" She had no watch or clock, so her sense of time was seriously skewed. Still she was much hungrier than usual and she strained to see what he had brought her.  
  
"I should have known you'd notice. You are so observant; no wonder you're so good at your job." He broke off as Sara's eyes narrowed, as if she didn't believe him. "You don't get many compliments do you?"  
  
Sara suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "No. I ummm. Thanks. So, what have you got there?"  
  
"Fresh fruit salad, orange juice and toast. I thought you could use a light breakfast after last night."  
  
Sara blushed. "Thank you. I did eat a lot. The cheesecake was great. Where did you get it?"  
  
He smiled at her embarrassment. "Calandra's. It's my favorite bakery. Their bread is great too."  
  
Sara sat up and started eating, at ease even with her captor sitting so close to her. She was focused on her food when it hit her just how far she had fallen. She was so pathetic that even the attentions of a psychotic kidnapper we welcome now. What was worse was that she didn't care. She knew it was wrong, but couldn't bring herself to fight the familiarity growing between them.  
  
***************** "Catherine?"  
  
"Okay. I checked with Brass. Mr. Foster did report his car stolen the day before it was probably used to pick up Sara's possessions at the storage place. We've put out an APB on it. Maybe we'll get lucky."  
  
"Good. Nick?"  
  
"I checked Tim Foster's background. Moved here four years ago. Freelance computer programmer. Originally from a small town in Montana. He went to a small trade school there but according to his employers he is mostly self taught. He has no record except for a few parking tickets."  
  
"So his story checks out. By the way, Nick your idea worked great."  
  
"Really?"  
  
It was Warrick's turn to speak up. "Yeah man. I got good prints from every person we visited. The photograph of the "victim" was a perfect surface."  
  
"Great. Did you get any matches?" Nick looked hopeful.  
  
"Nothing great. Gaming licenses, a few misdemeanors, but their alibis check out."  
  
"Damn. So now what?"  
  
Grissom stood up before ending the meeting. "We work the evidence. What little there is. And hope something new turns up."  
  
*****************  
  
"I brought you some clean clothes." Tim walked over to the bed and laid out a pair of black pants, a tank top and some underwear. Sara was actually grateful. She really did need to change.  
  
Sara laid the clothes Tim had brought on the sink and looked in the mirror. She really didn't look like she had been kidnapped or hurt in any way. She was significantly paler from being kept out of the sun for so long and had some wicked circles under her eyes, but she definitely hadn't lost any weight. Sara stripped and stepped into the shower, reveling in the way the hot water scoured her clean. She reached for her shampoo and thought back to the first time she had showered in here. She had been terrified that Tim would come in. That had been the fastest shower she'd ever had.  
  
Now, she felt at ease and barely noticed that everything, from the toothpaste to the shampoo was her brand. Sara toweled off and started to dress. Her pants fit, but they were a little tighter than she remembered. Now they looked more like something Catherine would wear. Tim really was taking good care of her. She couldn't remember when she'd eaten so well.  
  
Sara finished dressing and left the bathroom. She sat, patient and unresisting, as Tim refastened her wrist to the bed. It was a reminder that none of this was normal and of the power that he continued to hold over her. Yet even this daily ritual was becoming less important to her. It was just a fact of life now.  
  
***************** Grissom sat hunched in his chair behind his desk; head in his hands in what was quickly becoming a cliché around the lab. Since they had realized that Sara hadn't abandoned them but had been taken, the raucous energy that had once permeated the night, now lay buried under the oppressive torment of ignorance. It was the not knowing that nearly crippled them all. And so they sat, whenever they had a free moment, heads in their hands, lost to each other.  
  
Gil knew his team was falling apart, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Days had passed since their last lead and what little hope he'd had left was quickly fading. He went through each night mechanically, doing his job oblivious to the world around him. He'd decided that he was getting too old for this. Decades of seeing the worst of humanity had taken its toll. It was time to let someone younger, with more energy and ambition take over. If Sara's case remained stalled, then next month he'd resign. There was nothing to keep him there anymore.  
  
*****************  
  
"So you're not originally from Vegas?"  
  
"No. I'm from Montana actually."  
  
Sara smiled. It was refreshing to have a normal conversation with someone. Well, as normal as it could be with her wrist still chained to the bad. "So you're a transplant like me. How did you wind up here?"  
  
"Montana just wasn't big enough for me." Tim laughed. "Not the state, but the towns. I grew up in a tiny town. It was like a time warp, with a decrepit old main street from the fifties. I did well in school and dreamed of escaping. Contrary to popular opinion, small towns aren't all full of love and community. They were close-minded, nosy people. I got out as soon as I could."  
  
Tim surprised himself with how much he was revealing. He really didn't like to talk about his past. He had worked hard to transform himself, to shake off his past. He hadn't had any contact with his family in years. All they would want from him is money. He might be a nerd by most standards, but he was a successful one.  
  
But now he was on the verge of stripping away his new self simply to please the woman sitting next to him. Sara was simply intoxicating. She made him want to confess his deepest and darkest secrets to her. He worshiped her as much as he needed to possess her.  
  
***************** Brass stood outside Grissom's office and looked in. His friend seemed to have aged ten years. He sat slumped over, his hair and beard looking unkempt and completely unaware of Jim's presence. "Gil. You might want to call your team together."  
  
Gil started and looked up tiredly. "What is it Jim?"  
  
"We found the truck."  
  
Grissom was on his feet instantly. He grabbed his kit and started for the door. "The truck?! That's great! Have them bring it to the garage."  
  
"Already take care of. But Gil, there's something else."  
  
"What?"  
  
"There was someone inside."  
  
*****************  
  
"You're kidding. A cattle ranch?"  
  
"Yep. We had cattle, sheep and a lot of random pets."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, we had a sheltie named Sally. She looked exactly like a miniature Lassie. And about ten cats, though only one, Trail, lived in the house. The others were barn cats. Then there were the hurt wild animals that my sister took in. A raccoon, a possum, even a bat."  
  
"That's so cool. We never had any real pets; my mom's allergic. All we ever had was fish, and they never lasted long. I was always jealous of my friends with dogs." Sara smiled and looked at Tim a little closer. "You know you don't really seem like someone who."  
  
"What? I don't seem like a hick or white trash?" Tim knew he sounded defensive, but he couldn't help it.  
  
Sara looked harshly at him. "I wasn't going to say that. Don't put words into my mouth." Her eyes softened as she continued. "I was going to say that you seem so at ease here in Vegas. It's hard to picture you riding the open ranges or roping cattle."  
  
Tim laughed. "Well you sure have a romantic notion of ranch life. We didn't have horses. They're not exactly practical. We had pickups and ATV's."  
  
Sara grinned. "No. ATVs are not nearly as romantic as horses. I take it you didn't want to be a rancher."  
  
"With cattle, you're lucky to break even and the land isn't good for much else. It's dirty, smelly work and it never ends."  
  
She looked hard at him. He seemed so passionate. No one had even been so forthcoming with her. No one had ever felt so comfortable that they could confide in her. It felt good to have him trust her so completely. "Does your family still live up there?"  
  
"Yeah. Montana's full of families that have been doing the same thing for generations on the same piece of earth. It sounds like a cliché, but we're bound to the earth we work. It's hard to get out."  
  
"But you did."  
  
Tim smiled. "Yes."  
  
*****************  
  
"I swear on my Grandma. I'm telling you the truth."  
  
"Right Mr. Strausser. You just happened to find the truck after someone else already stole it." Brass leaned forward  
  
"Yeah! The ignition was broken and everything."  
  
"I see. And how long ago was this."  
  
"Almost two months now. Man it's been a sweet ride. Can I keep it?"  
  
"I think the owner might want it back. Now let's talk about Sara."  
  
"I don't know no Sara."  
  
"You see now we have a problem. I was ready to believe that story about you stealing a stolen truck, but that truck was used in the abduction of a friend of mine."  
  
"I'm telling you. I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Grissom had managed to stay out of it until now. Brass was the cop, more experienced in interrogations, but this was maddening. "Cut the crap, you sorry son of a bitch. You know where she is. Tell me where she is!"  
  
"I. I don't."  
  
"You. You.Don't?" Grissom's voice was low, dangerous and mocking. "You know something, and you're going to tell me right now or I'll see to it that you never spend another day outside of jail."  
  
"Grissom!" Nick's voice interrupted Grissom's rant. "We need to talk."  
  
******************  
  
"I was always good in school. Especially in math. I was a geek, couldn't play football so I got picked on a lot. From an early age I knew I wanted to get out of there."  
  
"How did you?"  
  
"I saved up and bought a computer. It was like a new world was opened up to me. I taught myself to program games. When I graduated high school, I wanted to go away to college, but couldn't afford it. I probably could have gotten a scholarship but my folks wanted me to work on the ranch. My aunt convinced them to let me go to a technical school about 200 miles away." Tim got up and started walking around the room. "When I was done with that, I left."  
  
"What do you mean, you left?"  
  
"I just picked up and left. I was in Cleveland for a year and then I got the job out here."  
  
"What do your folks think about all this?"  
  
"I haven't spoken with them in years. I called them when I first moved here, but we didn't have much to talk about. I gave up on their way of life and never looked back." Tim sat back down next to Sara and smiled at her. "But I'm glad I did. I met you."  
  
****************** Grissom stormed out of the interrogation room making no effort to hide his annoyance with the younger investigator. "This better be pretty damn important, Nick. Brass and I were a little busy in there."  
  
"You've got the wrong guy."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"The ignition on the truck was popped, but Strausser's prints were not on it."  
  
"That doesn't prove anything, Nick."  
  
"Will you just let me finish? Someone else's prints were on it. They match a set of prints you and Cat brought back."  
  
"Whose are they?"  
  
"Tim Foster's"  
  
"Well that's hardly news. It's his truck."  
  
"Yeah, but we found his partials on an internal part. He must have done it himself."  
  
"But that only make sense if he.."  
  
"Wanted his truck stolen. Griss, he's the one who took her. He's got Sara."  
  
***************  
  
"Your turn Sara. Tell me something about yourself."  
  
"Well, you already know what brought me to Las Vegas."  
  
Tim frowned. "Grissom."  
  
"Yeah, Grissom. Foolish really, to come so far to chase something that wasn't there to begin with."  
  
"You loved him. You didn't have a choice."  
  
"I did. Love him I mean. But I also had a choice. I didn't have to come here."  
  
"Do you still love him?"  
  
"I don't know anymore. I don't know that there's anything left to love. He is a different man now, and not a better one I think. I thought I could wait for him, but."  
  
"I'm sorry he's caused you so much pain."  
  
"I can deal with the pain. But he doesn't even realize what he's done." Sara smiled sadly. "That's really worse isn't it? His fear or even his anger I could handle, but his indifference freezes me."  
  
"I'll never understand how anyone could not appreciate you for the wonderful woman you are Sara."  
  
"I don't want to wait for anyone anymore. I've lost too much time already to hopeless causes. I want to forget it all. I want a new life."  
  
***************  
  
"I should have known." Grissom's knuckles were white as he held the steering wheel in a death grip. "How could I have not known?"  
  
"There's no way we could know. He was just one of many potential suspects. And he was forthcoming when we questioned him." Catherine held her own share of guilt in this, but was determined to keep Grissom's from overwhelming him. She had watched the guilt and pain at Sara's disappearance transform him. He looked older, worn down. Work could hold his attention, and he was as good an investigator as ever but the excitement and joy with which he had tackled his cases was gone.  
  
"I should have been able to tell. It's my job to know. And now he's had her another week." Grissom glanced at Catherine and caught the pity in her eyes. He knew what everyone was thinking but wouldn't say in front of him. He knew the statistics even better than they did. The chances of finding Sara alive after all this time were almost nonexistent. The odds said that Sara was long since dead. He just couldn't say it aloud. If he did, the reality of the situation would be too much to bear. So he drove on, clinging to the slim hope that she was waiting for him *************** Sara sat curled up on the bed with Tim patiently perched nearby. She couldn't believe that she had told him so much, or even admitted it to herself. For someone who prided herself on privacy and keeping her emotions in check, she was talking way too much. Tim just seemed so patient, so caring that it was easy to open up to him. Besides he had been very open and honest, telling her about his childhood.  
  
Sara unwound her body and reached out to touch Tim's hand. "Thank you for listening to my demented ramblings. It actually feels better to talk about it now."  
  
He froze, willing himself not to react to strongly to her touch. She had finally reached out to him and e ad no desire to frighten her away. Slowly, cautiously, he turned his hand so her fingers were entwined with his.  
  
"I'm so glad you're feeling better and that you were so brave to discuss it with me. I'm humbled by your trust.  
  
***************  
  
Gil Grissom stood outside the ring of police officers surrounding 11 Tabor Court feeling utterly useless. He had brought his weapon with him but no one would let him near the house. Everyone had told him to let the professionals do their job and any other time he would have no problem doing just that. He had never felt the need or even the desire to be the hero. He was content to solve the puzzle and leave the rescue to other more adventurous men. But tonight was different. Grissom watched the SWAT members, swathed in black, moving around the house like wraiths. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be one of them. He wanted to be the hero for once.  
  
A raised fist from one of the officers was the only warning of the hell about to be unleashed against Tim Foster. Grissom glanced at the rest of the team anxiously waiting for this ordeal to be over. Even Greg was there, shivering slightly in the cool desert air. Grissom wondered briefly if they felt as helpless as he did.  
  
The attack happened quickly, a concussion grenade shattering the unnatural calm of night. Like a swarm of angry bees, they descended on the place, filling every room with their ghostly forms and shouted orders. They did their job and Grissom waited. ***************  
  
"Did you hear something?" Sara started slightly. It sounded as if something large had hit the house.  
  
"Yeah. It's probably nothing though. Maybe a plane flying too low." Tim struggled not to look at the door. He had a pretty good idea of what the noise was. It really had been only a matter of time. Now he had a just a few minutes before they found the basement. Just a few minutes to finish it. He was so close to winning.  
  
*************** "Sorry Gil. He must have cleared out of here when he realized we were onto him." Brass stood over Grissom who was crouched down staring at the carpet.  
  
"I'll find him. We just treat his house as a crime scene and we'll find clues. I can find them." Grissom kept repeating this in his head with one change. I will find her. I can find her. His mantra was the only thing keeping him from breaking down in front of everyone. He didn't even notice when Brass left him to his own tortured thoughts.  
  
"Hey Grissom!"  
  
Gil got up and walked over to Nick who was staring at a bookshelf. He looked shaken.  
  
"You said that you and Catherine were in here before right?"  
  
"Yes, Nick. But I don't see what that has to do with anything."  
  
"You don't recognize this?" Nick was holding an old, battered bowling pin. He swept his arm out gesturing to the whole living room. "You don't recognize any of this."  
  
Grissom looked blankly at Nick who was growing more agitated by the second.  
  
"Sara got this from her bowling team at Harvard. And that ceramic elephant was a gift from her aunt. She hates it."  
  
Catherine reached out to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Nick. How do you know all this?"  
  
He shrugged her off and glared at the two of them. "All these things were in her apartment. We hung out after work a few times when she first came here." Nick put the pin down and ran a hand through his hair. "Three years and neither of you have ever been to her place? Did you even know where she lived before she disappeared? Did you even care?"  
  
Grissom was spared from answering Nick's accusing voice by Brass.  
  
"Gil. They found a trapdoor in the bedroom."  
  
*************** "You know Sara, I'm glad I've had this time to get to know you so well. You really are a remarkable woman."  
  
"Thanks, but I'm not that special." Sara looked away from his piercing gaze. She had heard him say such things before, but years of going unnoticed and unloved had taken their toll. How could she believe him?  
  
This time however, Tim firmly guided her chin with one hand while the other brushed her hair from her forehead. His eyes held her captive as he moved a little closer. "You are that special. You deserve so much more than pain the past has brought you. You deserve to be loved."  
  
Sara tried to look away, but suddenly felt trapped by the look on his face. It had been so long since she'd seen something like that, she almost didn't recognize it. It was love. Tim truly loved her. Without reservation or shame or fear.  
  
"No." It came out reluctantly, almost as a whimper.  
  
"Yes, Sara. I love you."  
  
Sara shook her head out of his grasp. "You can't. You can't love me."  
  
He took hold of her face again and leaned in until he could feel her desperate breathing against his lips. "I do."  
  
*************** "LVPD! Get the hell away from her!"  
  
SWAT members poured into the basement, assault rifles raised. Grissom and Brass followed quickly but were stopped by the sight in front of them. Sara lay underneath Foster, one arm above her head shackled to the headboard the other wrapped around her captor.  
  
Foster looked up just as two officers tacked him, throwing him off the bed and pinning him to the floor. Grissom was kneeling by Sara a split second later gently brushing her hair from her face.  
  
"Sara? Sara . Are you okay?" Grissom heard his voice breaking as tears of joy threatened to spill. He gently cupped her chin and turned her face so their eyes met.  
  
"What are you doing here Grissom?" A mask of anger descended over her face. She moved her body away from him and broke his contact with her face. "Don't touch me. You never touch me."  
  
Grissom reeled back as if she had slapped him. Something was very wrong. He had envisioned her rescue with himself as her knight in shining armor. He had imagined his tearful admission of his feelings for her and her love and gratitude as he carried her to safety. This was not right.  
  
Through his tears, Grissom saw Tim being hauled to his feet and something in him snapped. He lunged at the man who had kept Sara from him and grabbed his shirt with both hands.  
  
"What did you do to her?! Tell me you sick bastard! What did you do?"  
  
A slow smile spread across Tim's face as he looked past the babbling fool in front of him. Sara was wrapped in a blanket, watching him. Finally, he met Grissom's eyes.  
  
"You're too late. Sara belongs to me now."  
  
......TBC Review and I'll have the next chapter up in a week! 


	6. 6

Out of Time – Chapter 6  
  
A/N: Again. Sorry this took so very long to get out. I haven't forgotten about it, but I finally got a somewhat decent job, so I've been really busy. Add to that the fact that my entire day is spent on a computer setting up databases so that by the time I get home, I would cut off my fingers before typing another word. Right, on to the story.  
  
******************  
  
"Relax Nick. Grissom went with her. I'm sure he'll give us a call when he knows something." Nick hadn't stopped moving since Sara had been whisked away in the ambulance and his incessant pacing was getting on Catherine's nerves. "Nick! You have to calm down now. We need to process the scene, or day shift will be brought in. Do you think Grissom wants that?"  
  
Nick looked at Catherine incredulously. Her face was emotionless as she handed him his kit and shoved him toward the bedroom. He couldn't believe her. Did she really care so little for Sara? Hell, even Grissom was affected by this. Nick crouched next to the bed and collected some fibers. He fought the overwhelming desire to just leave the minutia of his job and literally run to the hospital. How could anyone work under these circumstances?  
  
In the living room, Warrick wasn't doing much better. Knick knacks, books, clothes. All things that Nick said belonged to Sara. Not that he'd ever seen any of this stuff before. Three years and he knew so little about her. Honestly, that first year he hadn't wanted to know her. She was an outsider, brought in to investigate him, twice. He eventually realized it wasn't her fault. She hadn't asked to investigate him that second time. Grissom had made her.  
  
And yet even that realization hadn't really changed the way he treated her. Sara had ceased being one of the team and he had no idea how it happened. One day he walked into the break room and realized that he couldn't remember the last time she had shared a meal with him. She was becoming more and more like Grissom every day. Maybe that was why he hadn't noticed the changes. Warrick had been focused on the steady deterioration of his mentor. Grissom had never been a social butterfly, but he had always had time for a quick meal at the diner or a shared roller coaster ride. But as time crawled by, Grissom stopped interacting with everybody unless it had something to do with a case.  
  
Then he had left. Warrick hoped the vacation would give Griss back the spark he'd once had. It might have worked too if it hadn't been for Sara. Warrick had blamed her for leaving him. Now he blamed himself as he bagged and cataloged Sara's belongings while Catherine worked the basement where she had been held prisoner for weeks.  
  
********************  
  
Grissom paced outside Sara's hospital room impatient for any word about her. He knew the nurses were starting to talk about him. More than one had attempted to corral him into the waiting room. All he had to do was glare at them, and they went scurrying away. He scratched at his face; his beard and hair felt unruly, unkempt. Ironically, he probably looked scarier than the freak that had kept Sara prisoner.  
  
One of the bolder nurses offered him a cup of coffee, which he accepted without a word. He just continued to stare at the closed door waiting for the doctor to come out. Grissom wondered what was taking so long.  
  
Finally, fifteen minutes later the doctor emerged. He looked almost too young to have gone to medical school and Gil immediately disliked him. The doctor was writing on a chart and didn't even look up as he brushed past him.  
  
"Doctor!" Grissom grabbed the sleeve of his lab coat as he tried to leave.  
  
"What can I do for you, Mr...."  
  
"Dr. Grissom."  
  
"MD?"  
  
"No. PhD. What can you tell me about Sara?"  
  
"Are you family?"  
  
Grissom was quickly losing his patience. He dug in his pockets for his ID and flashed it briefly. "I've been working Miss Sidle's case, and I would like to know her condition."  
  
"She's in excellent health."  
  
Grissom was floored. He actually staggered back a step before catching himself. "I... I... don't understand."  
  
The doctor shrugged. "Except for some bruising on her wrists, she's absolutely fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I know how to do my job, Dr. Grissom. I checked out everything. She said she wasn't harmed, but I insisted on checking. There's no sign of sexual or physical assault. In fact, looking at her medical records, she seems to have gained five pounds since the last time she saw a doctor. And her stomach problem seems to have cleared up."  
  
"Stomach problem?"  
  
"She had a pre-ulcerous condition brought on by stress."  
  
Grissom walked to the closed door and laid his hand on it. None of this was making any sense. "Can I see her?"  
  
The doctor stared at the man in front of him. He was obviously more that just an investigator. Whatever he may claim, there was something else there.  
  
"Go ahead in, but try not to stay long. I just gave her something and she should be falling asleep soon."  
  
Grissom casually dismissed him and opened the door. He stood in the doorway watching her breathe. It amazed him that such a simple act of watching her chest rise and fall could be so comforting. After not knowing for so long it was blissful to just see her alive. He smiled and stepped further into the room. Sara stirred when she heard the door close behind him.  
  
"Tim?" ***************  
  
Detective Jim Brass had seen and heard a lot over the course of his career but this was something new. He never thought they would find Sara alive after all this time. Things like that just didn't happen. Yet she was safe in the hospital and her captor was in the interrogation room. Brass walked in and calmly sat down.  
  
"So how is my girl doing?" Tim leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table, an air of confidence about him. "I really hope you won't keep me too long. She hates it when I go away."  
  
Brass clenched his fists in a conscious effort not to strangle the smug bastard. "You're not going anywhere and as for Sara, she's still in the hospital."  
  
Tim jumped out of his chair not even noticing as it crashed to the floor. He leaned over the table and glared menacingly at the cop in front of him. "Why is she there? What did you do to her? She was fine when I left her!"  
  
"She's there because you kidnapped her, tortured her and held her hostage for weeks. I can just imagine the damage you did." Brass fought to remain calm, never moving an inch despite Tim's menacing stance. He wanted nothing more than to beat this guy into a bloody mess, but he wouldn't allow himself that luxury. He had to sit there and play the game, subtly working Tim until he finally broke or slipped up. He had been in on countless interrogations and had long ago learned how to control them. The suspect this time thought he was in control but his outburst played right into the cop's hands. All he needed to do was push him a little more. "I saw how you looked at her, at her legs. You couldn't have resisted for long. Who could? How long was it before you raped her, huh? A day, a week?"  
  
Much to Brass's surprise, Tim suddenly grinned and picked up the chair that he had knocked over. Slowly he sat down and leaned back, still smiling. "I get it. You think I hurt her. I'm sorry to disappoint you detective, but Sara is perfectly happy and healthy. I love her and would never dream of doing anything... inappropriate. Actually I'm a little worried about her now."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"Since she moved in, we haven't been apart for so long. I really hope she is doing okay."  
  
**************** "What are you doing here, Gil?"  
  
Grissom stood staring into the interrogation room, indulging in a fantasy that involved Tim Foster and fire ants. "There was no reason for me to stay at the hospital, and the rest of the team is searching his house."  
  
"So Sara's going to be okay?"  
  
Bass noticed his eyes darkening significantly at the question. "She seems healthy. The doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong with her."  
  
Jim had more questions for Grissom, but was spurred into action when Grissom reached for the door. Holding the door closed with one hand, he said "I don't think that's such a good idea."  
  
Grissom turned to look at him and instead of the fury Brass expected, all he saw was pain. "I'm not going to do anything to him. I just want to talk." Grissom went back to looking at their suspect through the glass. "He hasn't confessed yet has he?"  
  
"No. He likes to talk, but hasn't given us anything we can use against him."  
  
"So let me try. I believe we have a lot to talk about."  
  
"Why do you think he'll talk to you?"  
  
"We have something in common."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
Grissom smiled sadly and closed his eyes as he answered. "Sara."  
  
*******************  
  
"There's nothing to talk about."  
  
"I understand that you've been through a lot, but eventually you're going to have to talk to someone."  
  
Sara rolled on her side and looked out the window. Why couldn't anyone understand? She just wanted to be left alone. The doctors came first, with their poking and prodding and pictures. They seemed almost disappointed that she wasn't in worse shape. No one believed her when she said she was fine. No, poor little Sara was too traumatized to know her own body. Then came the nurses, poking their cute little blonde heads in every five minutes, like they were afraid she was going to disappear if someone wasn't watching her. Now it was Dr. Hayes, the department shrink's turn.  
  
"Look Doctor. I'm fine. I'm sure you've seen my chart. There's nothing wrong with me. I just want to get out of here."  
  
Dr. Hayes wasn't about to give up so easily. No one could be unaffected after being kidnapped and held hostage for weeks. That Sara would want to shut down especially to him was understandable but unhealthy. There had to be someone she could talk to.  
  
"What about some of your friends? Would you like to see some of them?"  
  
Sara gave a mirthless chuckle. "Friends? No I don't think so."  
  
Dr. Hayes knew there was something telling in her response but chose to ignore it for the moment in favor of something more practical. He had read her file and knew how dedicated she was to her job as a CSI. He decided to change tacks.  
  
"I know you're getting out of here tomorrow. The department won't let you return to work until we've talked and I assure them you're okay to resume your duties."  
  
Sara sat up and looked at him for a moment.  
  
"What makes you think I want to go back to work?"  
  
*******************  
  
"Ahhh, Dr. Grissom. I wondered when you would grace me with your presence. I've been looking forward to this."  
  
"Don't try me Mr. Foster. I'm not in the mood." Grissom leaned over the table and glared at the man who had turned Sara against him. "Tell me what you did to her."  
  
"I didn't do anything to Sara. I was trying to explain that to your friend Jim. I love Sara. I would never hurt her."  
  
Grissom clenched his jaw, desperately wanting to wipe that stupid grin of the little shit's face. "Why should I believe a sick fuck like you?"  
  
"Well since you obviously felt comfortable leaving the hospital, you know that she is in excellent health. Probably better than the last time you saw her. She looks like she did when she first moved out here, happy, hopeful."  
  
This got Grissom's attention. How long had this been going on? "How do you know?"  
  
"Please. I've been watching her for a few years now. I saw her at a crime scene. A neighbor of mine was killed." Tim chuckled at the look on Grissom's face. "Don't bother. I had nothing to do with it. But once I saw her I knew."  
  
"Knew what?"  
  
"That I needed her. That she was the type of woman who could make a man spout poetry or go insane. The type of woman who can stop your breath when you hear her voice or see her face. The type of woman who can make a man forsake everything he loves just for the chance to wake up next to her." Tim leaned forward and reached out a hand. "I've seen you watching her. I know you see it too."  
  
Grissom was up out of his chair in a heartbeat. He walked to the other side of the room and stared at the wall. "I don't..."  
  
"You do. I've watched you too, you know. She thought so highly of you. I had to know why. And after all this time, I still can't see what she saw in you. I still don't know why she loved you."  
  
At this Grissom spun around. "Don't look so surprised Dr. Grissom, or should I just call you Grissom, like she does."  
  
"Doctor."  
  
"Of course. So Doctor, you had to know how she felt. She offered herself to you time and again. I watched on, silently loving her as you hurt her again and again. She stopped eating, sleeping. She stopped caring about everything and no one noticed but me. Then she was going to leave me forever. Because you were too selfish or stupid to accept the heaven she offered you."  
  
Grissom sat down again. The anger was gone and now he felt only disgusted with himself. He had well and truly failed Sara. He had ignored her for too long. He wanted to flee this room, this life, the knowledge that a psychopath could know Sara better than he did. But he still hadn't gotten what he came for. "So that's when you took her."  
  
Tim smiled wistfully and let out a deep breath. "Yes. I couldn't let her go. She means the world to me."  
  
With this last confession, Grissom was done. He got up and was headed for the door when Tim's voice stopped him cold.  
  
"You know Doctor, I never answered your question."  
  
Gil turned around to face Foster one last time. "I've heard all I need to hear."  
  
"Yes. You have my confession and any second Detective Brass will return to place me under arrest. But you asked me what I did to her." Tim stared at Grissom and licked his lips. "You want to know what I did that makes her need me. Why she flinches when you touch her now and won't even look at you. It's very simple, Doctor. I did everything you wouldn't do. I listened to her. Paid attention to her likes and dislikes. Cooked her favorite foods. I told her about myself, my childhood. I let her know me. I loved her and told her I loved her. That's all it takes, Grissom."  
  
Grissom was out the door in a second, running down the hall. But he could still hear Foster's mocking voice calling out to him. "Say hi to her for me and tell her I miss her!"  
  
..........TBC  
  
Review Review Review!!! I've already started writing the next chapter, so it shouldn't take so long this time. I'm trying to get them together in the end, but I'm not sure how to do it. Any suggestions, please let me know. 


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